Report indicates Mission Bay fire was accidental

The San Francisco Fire Department has released a report about the cause of a 5-alarm fire that occurred in Mission Bay.

April 15, 2014 6:19:53 PM PDT

by Tiffany Wilson

SAN FRANCISCO --

The San Francisco Fire Department has released a report about the cause of a 5-alarm fire that occurred in Mission Bay. The fire destroyed a building under construction on the 1200 block of 4th Street on March 11.

The report indicates that the fire was accidental. It originated on the exterior of the structure in the south/east quadrant. The heat source was a "hot or smoldering object" and the item first ignited was a wooden structural member.

The fire caused about $40 million in damage to the project and more than $500,000 in damage to the surrounding buildings.

"Ridiculous, isn't it? Utterly ridiculous, but what can you say, you know, that's, I guess what it costs for these buildings," said witness Cathy Tralau-Stewart.

Many of the apartments in Strata at Mission Bay are still empty. Windows boarded up, residents moved out.

"Initially when it happened, I was a little a little bit worried because [there are] so many other construction projects. So, this could, kind of, happen again," said Mission Bay resident Cynthia Huang.

"The five-alarm fire at Mission Bay, it was an accidental fire. So, there was no malicious intent involved. A lot of people are relieved to get that information," said San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Mindy Talmadge.

The fire department is expected to explain what the "hot or smoldering object" could have been in a later report.

Talmadge said, at this point, the fire has not sparked any safety regulation changes.

"It's a little early to tell, right now, if [there are] any changes that need to be made," she said.